Junto Nakatani is full of confidence going into his history making match-up with Naoya Inoue at the Tokyo Dome on May 2. At 33 years-old, Inoue is five years older than Nakatani.
“I feel that my size and youth should be a big advantage,” Nakatani said in an interview with Ring Magazine. “It gives me an even better chance to win.”
Nakatani (32-0, 24 KOs) will only make his second appearance at the super bantamweight limit compared to Inoue’s eight fights. However, the 28-year-old southpaw has considerable height advantage over the 33-year-old four-weight world champion.
“I’m not only working on my overhand left but several other punches as well,” Nakatani added in the same interview. “One of Inoue’s strongest assets is his ability to adjust in the moment. Inoue is able to land on his opponents quickly by using his speed. It’s important to move and not be a stationary target. I’ve been practicing on my adjustments and movements. This is the key to winning.”
Nakatani’s debut at 122 pounds drew some criticism from the boxing world, following a unanimous decision victory against Sebastian Hernandez on the Inoue vs David Picasso undercard in December.
“May 2nd will be a day when everything I’ve built up in my life will come together,” Nakatani said, translated from Japanese, at Thursday’s press conference. “Not many boxers get to stand in a place like this. It was a fun and fulfilling training camp. On May 2nd, I want to show everyone Junto Nakatani’s story and win.
“Weight adjustment is going smoothly. I’m in the stage of losing a few hundred grams in preparation for tomorrow’s weigh-in. My motivation is to see how many people will be moved by what one boxer has built up in the ring.”
Inoue (32-0, 27 KOs) comes into the biggest fight in Japan’s boxing history in much more expectant circumstances. The bookmakers have Inoue as 2/7 favorite following a shutout points win over Picasso just four months ago.
